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Dorial Green-Beckham is the wild card in another great WR class

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

INDIANAPOLIS – Dorial Green-Beckham is a wild card in this draft, particularly in the receiver class.

On talent alone, he might be a top-five pick. He’s 6-foot-5, 237 pounds. Calvin Johnson was 6-5, 239 at his scouting combine, for comparison. Green-Beckham showed flashes of his immense talent at Missouri. He also carries enough red flags for everyone to see from miles away.

He was kicked out of Missouri for multiple off-field incidents for marijuana and a domestic violence incident, although he was not charged for the latter after the alleged victim declined to press charges. He sat out all of last season at the University of Oklahoma after transferring.

The former No. 1 recruit out of high school said he has matured (Dr. Saturday's Graham Watson discusssed Green-Beckham's past and him trying to move on from it here) and insisted he won’t be a problem anymore.

“Because I know what’s at stake,” Green-Beckham said. “I know what type of person I am and I understand what the NFL is looking for me as a person and I just want them to know I’m going to go out there and give them my all and focus on being the best player I can be.”

The character concerns are there, but they were there with players like Randy Moss and Dez Bryant, and how many teams would like a do-over on them?

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The thing about Green-Beckham is that if teams don’t want to take a big risk and use an early pick on him, there are plenty of other talented (and safer) receivers to pick from.

This might not be the 2014 rookie receiver class, a group that class looks like it will go down in history as one of the best of any unit in NFL history. But this one is really good, too.

Amari Cooper of Alabama and Kevin White of West Virginia will battle to be the top wideout, and either could go as high as No. 4 to the Oakland Raiders. DeVante Parker of Louisville is probably a first-round lock. Green-Beckham, Arizona State’s Jaelen Strong, Michigan’s Devin Funchess, Auburn’s Sammie Coates, UCF’s Breshad Perriman, Miami’s Phillip Dorsett and Ohio State’s Devin Smith are among the others who could be drafted in the top two rounds.

“It's pretty darn deep, the wide receiver group,” said Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman, whose team drafted Kelvin Benjamin in the first round last year and could be in the market for another receiver early in this year’s draft. “All shapes and sizes, whatever you're looking for you should find be able to find and you're going to get value.”

It’s a passing league, and between this rookie receiver class and last year’s class, there will be a lot of talented guys to pass to for years to come. And seeing the rookies last year produce right away should give NFL teams confidence that more immediate contributors are available, and it helps the 2015 rookie receivers too.

“I think it gave me a lot of confidence because a lot of those guys who were making those plays as rookie receivers were in my class, graduated the same year of high school,” Smith said. “It gave me a lot of confidence to know that if they can do it, I can do it as well.”

There’s a diversity in the receiver class, with super-sized wideouts like Green-Beckham and Funchess, long and lanky ones like White and Parker, an extremely productive college player like Cooper who should be an immediate NFL starter, speedsters like Dorsett and Coates and deep threats like Smith, who averaged 28.2 yards last season for Ohio State.

“That’s what teams need. They need guys who can go and get it,” Smith said. “I think I have that ability." 

Any team with a receiver need shouldn't have any problems finding one in this draft. There are plenty of good ones to choose from once again.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!